Sempre (Forever Series #1)(116)

Carmine’s brow furrowed at the vague statement. “Who?”

“Ed McMahon and the prize patrol. Who do you think is coming?”

The mocking tone caught him off guard. “Feds?”

“I wish.” Vincent shook his head. “It’s probably only a matter of time before they come knocking, but no . . . we’re not that lucky today. I got a call a few minutes ago that Sal hopped a plane to come here with no warning. I don’t know why, and I have no idea what they want.”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.” Vincent opened desk drawers and rifled through files. “I’m hoping it’s unexpected business, but it could be one of you they’re after, so I need you out of here in case. Corrado doesn’t think you should be anywhere without protection.”

“I have a gun,” Carmine said.

Vincent’s head shot up. “A lot of good one gun does you as a nobody. They could kill you and no one would know unless you had one of us by your side.”

Vincent’s phone vibrated against the desk, and he held his hand up to silence Carmine. He answered it formally, his voice as even as possible. “DeMarco speaking . . . Yes, sir . . . I’ll be here.”

He hung up, tossing the phone down as he eyed his son peculiarly. “Pack some bags. We need to get the ball rolling on things.”

* * *

Haven paced the floor in Carmine’s bedroom, listening attentively for noises from below, but her ears were met with silence. No yelling. No screaming. No commotion at all.

The stillness only served to fuel her imagination as she conjured up wild scenarios—none of them remotely good. Her hands shook, fear coursing through her as a door slammed on the floor below. Footsteps hurried up the stairs as her heart thumped harder, so frenzied she could feel the blood rushing through her.

The door flung open, slamming the wall with a bang, and Carmine hurried in. He headed straight for his closet and threw things around, tossing two duffel bags onto the bed. “Pack some shit.”

She didn’t move. “What?”

“We need to get out of here, Haven.”

Haven felt woozy. She wanted to ask what was happening, desperately wanted him to explain, but she knew the answer would terrify her. She staggered to the bed and sat down as Carmine ran to her room, Dr. DeMarco’s words echoing through her mind. She had promised she would never run again. She swore she wouldn’t follow Carmine blindly.

“Why are you sitting there?” Carmine asked when he returned, his arms full of clothes. Thoughts swirled madly around her mind as he filled both bags and held his hand out to her. “Let’s go.”

The moment the words rolled from his tongue, her mind was made up. No matter the consequences, she had to go with him.

They hurried downstairs and Carmine pulled her onto the porch, not bothering to close the front door in his haste. Unlocking the car doors, he tossed the bags into the back and motioned for her to get in. As soon as they were settled, Carmine started the car and thrust it into gear. The tires spun and gravel sprayed as he sped away from the house.

“What’s going on?” Haven asked once they got on the highway, her voice cracking and stomach bubbling. “Why are we running? Did something happen?”

“We needed to get out of there before they showed up.”

She gaped at him as they pulled up to a red light in town. “Before who showed up, Carmine?”

He stared straight ahead. “Them.”

Not understanding, Haven followed the trail of his gaze, her eyes falling on four sleek black sedans sitting at the same red light, facing the opposite direction. “Are they . . . ?” she started, unable to finish the question. She’d seen those cars before.

“La Cosa Nostra,” Carmine said, the Italian words flowing beautifully, but the knowledge of what they meant sent a chill down Haven’s spine. Monsters.

The light turned green, and Carmine drove through the intersection. “You might wanna get comfortable, because it’s a long drive to California.”

Intense emotion hit her, stealing the breath from her lungs. “California?”

He nodded. “We’re needed in Blackburn.”

39

Carmine glanced at Haven in the passenger seat, frowning at the angle of her neck. She curled up the best she could with the seatbelt on. Reaching over, he brushed some hair out of Haven’s face and tucked it behind her ear. He ran the back of his hand across her cheek, feeling the roughness of the red blotches from crying. She hadn’t said anything about where they were going, but her tears spoke volumes about how she felt.

They had been on the road for three days, stopping occasionally to catch some sleep, but the majority of the time had been spent in the cramped car. The sky was overcast, the weather growing worse every mile, the constant drizzle turning into a downpour. Carmine slowly navigated the heavy traffic, his nerves on edge as he firmly gripped the steering wheel.

Haven sensed his unstable mood when she awoke and waited for him to attempt conversation first. “We’re almost to the state line,” he said quietly.

She stared out her foggy window. “Have you ever been to California?”

“Not that I remember,” he said. “I always wanted to, though.”

“Do they have colleges here?”

“Of course.”